Knock-down box construction



1964 J. c. HAAS 3,143,236

KNOCK-DOWN BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed June 13. 1962 FIG. I.

INVENTOR.

' JAY CHARLES #445 United States Patent 3,143,236 KNGCK-DOWN BOX CONSTRUCTION Jay Charles Haas, 784 Columbus Ave, New York, N.Y. Filed June 13, 1962, Ser. No. 202,257 1 Claim. (Cl. 217-12) The present invention relates generally to box constructions and specifically to a knock-down box construction useful as a storage device and as a plaything for children.

it has long been recognized that knock-down constructions provide advantageous features for childrens playthings, in addition to the obvious storage advantages which are demonstrated by such constructions. Further, it is advantageous to provide a storage device which provides a relatively large amount of enclosed storage volume, but which occupies relatively little volume when not in use for storage.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous storage box adapted for use by children. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a knock-down box construction which may be assembled and disassembled by children and which may be used to store a variety of items.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a box construction wherein six planar elements are provided with interlocking construction means such that they may be combined without the use of fastening elements, into a box having a pivotally mounted cover.

In accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a knock-down box construction comprising a front and back face, a pair of side faces, a top face and a bottom face, all of which are rectangular in configuration and constructed of a planar board material. The front and back faces each include a pair of side slots formed adjacent and parallel to the side edges and extending approximately half way from the top edge toward the bottom edge of the front and back faces. Further, a bottom slot is formed in the front and back faces parallel to the bottom edge thereof and centered between the side edges. The two side faces of the knock-down box construction are similarly each formed with a pair of side slots adjacent and parallel to the side edges and extend from the bottom edge approximately half way up toward the top edge of the side faces. These side slots cooperate with the side slot on the front and back faces to join those four elements together.

The bottom face of the knock-down box construction includes two centered tabs extending from the front and rear edges of the bottom face, which tabs cooperate with the bottom slots in the front and rear faces to support the bottom face therebetween. The top of the box is of a width which is less than the distance between the two side faces of the box when assembled and of a depth from front to rear edge which is greater than the distance between the front and rear faces of the box when assembled. A pair of pivot members extend outwardly along a line extending from the rear edge of the top face and are received within pivot member openings formed within the upper corners of the side faces. The pivot members serve to mount the top for pivotal motion about its rear edge. These constructions provide six planar elements which are simply assembled to form a six-sided box construction which may easily and conveniently be broken down for fiat storage or may be assembled for play purposes or for storage purposes.

The above brief description, as well as further objects,

. features and advantages, of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accom- 1 panying dratm'ngs, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of the six planar elements which combine to form the knock-down box construction according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are successive views illustrating the method of assembling the box according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an assembled box according to the present invention showing the pivotal action of the box top; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 6 a box, generally designated by the numeral 10, which is constructed from six planar members. The six elements are the front A, the back B, the two sides C and D, the top E and the bottom F. Each of these elements is a planar board-like structure which may be manufactured from wood, plastic, heavy cardboard or any similar construction material. A series of interlocking slots and tabs is provided for the interlocking assembly of the individual elements to form the completed box 10.

The construction and functioning of the individual elements A, B, C, D, E and F will be best appreciated by considerin the following description of each of the elements and the then following description of the assembly of the assembled box 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

The front face A is formed wth a pair of said slots 12, 14 which are parallel and adjacent to the side edges and extend approximately half way from the top edge toward the bottom edge. In addition, a bottom slot 16 is formed parallel and adjacent to the bottom edge of the front face A and is centered between the side edges. The rear face B is identical to the front face A.

The two slide faces C and D are formed with similar side slots 18, 20, however, the side slots 18, 20 extend upwardly from the lower edge of the side faces C and D approximately half way toward the upper edge. Although the two side slots 18, 20 are adjacent and parallel to the side edges of the faces C and D, a greater space may be left between the slot 20 and its respective edge of the side faces C and D and between the slot 18 and its respective side edge. This increased dimension defines the rear of the box It as will be described below.

The top member E is of plain rectangular shape with the addition of a dowel member 22 secured to the rear edge of the member. The dowel member 22 includes a pair of pivot extensions 24, 26 projecting beyond the side side edges of the top member B. These pivot member extensions engage a pair of openings 28, 30 formed in the upper rearward corners of the side members C and D as will be described below.

The bottom face F is similarly of rectangular shape and is provided with a pair of tab extensions 32, 34 from the front and rear edges of the bottom respectively with the rear tab 34 being of slightly greater length than the front tabs. As will be described below, the tabs 32, 34 enter and cooperate with the slots 16 formed in the front and rear faces A and B to support the bottom face F within the box 10.

In order to join the various members A, B, C, D, E and F together, the following steps may be employed as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The front face A is held perpendicular to the ground, or other work surface, and one of its side slots 12, 14 is joined with one of the side slots 18, 20 of one of the side faces C or D. The joinder is merely made to support the front face A perpendicular to the ground for purposes of further assembly. The front tab 32 of the bottom F is then inserted into the bottom slot 16 of the front face A and the back face B 3 is then joined to the construction by inserting the rear tab 34 of the bottom F into the bottom slot 16 of the rear face B thus creating a generally U-shaped construction.

One of the sides C, D is then secured to the front and rear faces A,'B by the interengagement of the slots 18, 20 with the slots 14, with the slot 20 being engaged with the rear face B rather than the front face A. The supporting side as shown in FIG. 2 may then be removed (or it may be removed after the previous step) and secured parallel to the first applied side face to complete a five-sided box.

The top E is applied by inserting the protruding pivot extensions 24, 26 into the pivot openings 28, 30 of the side members C, D. This is accomplished by raising one of the sides C, D as shown in FIG. 4, inserting one of the pivot extensions into a first one of the pivot openings 28, 30 and then inserting the other pivot extension 24 into the other opening 28, 30. The raised side (D in FIG. 4) may then be lowered into position such that the top E rests flat against the upper edges of the front and rear faces A, B. As may be seen in FIGS. 5 and ,6, the top E normally rests flat against the upper edges of the front and rear faces A and B and between the side faces C and D. The top E is of a suflicient length from front to rear that a small portion extends beyond the front face A to serve as a handle.

The increased distance between the slots 20 and the respective edges of the sides C, D provide room for the openings 18, 20. Of course, it is possible to construct the members of the box such that the sides are completely symmetrical thereby to eliminate the requirement to orient same front-to-back during assembly.

It will be appreciated that the assembly and disassembly of the box 10 may be accomplished by a child and, therefore, comprises an item having substantial play value. Further, the knock-down features of the box 10 provide advantageous storage characteristics since the box 10 may be constructed of relatively large size to store a considerable volume of material but may nevertheless be simply transported and may itself be stored in a rela tively small space.

The foregoing describes one embodiment of the present invention. Other box construction may be utilized without departing from the scope of my invention. Therefore, the following claim should be interpreted broadly consistent with the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

A knock-down box construction comprising a front face of a planar board material having two side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge, said front face having a pair of side slots formed adjacent and parallel to said side edges extending from said top edge approximately half way toward said bottom edge, and a bottom slot formed parallel to said bottom edge and centered between said side edges, a rear face similar to said front face, a pair of side faces of planar board material each having side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge, said side faces each having formed therein a pair of side slots adjacent and parallel tothe side edges of said side face and extending from the bottom edge approximately half way toward said top edge, the respective side slots of said front, rear and side faces cooperating to join said faces together with said slots interconnected, a rectangular bottom face of planar board material having front, back and side edges and including two centered tabs extending from said front and rear edges respectively, said tabs received within said bottom slots of said front and rear faces and cooperating therewith to support said bottom face within said knockdown box construction, and a pivoting top formed of a planar board material having front and rear edges and side edges, the distance between said front and said rear edge of said top being greater than the distance between the front and rear faces of said box when assembled and the distance between the side edges of said top being less than the distance between said side faces of said box References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 152,432 Strong June 23, 1874 682,306 Woolsey Sept. 10, 1901 I 999,764 Eklund et al. Aug. 8, 1911 1,923,881 Palais Aug. 22, 1933 2,636,229 Anderson Apr. 28, 1953 2,915,040 Ward Dec. 1, 1959 

